Bottom-placed Al Wakrah yesterday edged out Al Khor 1-0 to score their first win of the season but the two sides could barely impress with their on-field tactics.
Mohsine Moutaouali scored the only goal of the match in the 43rd minute at Al Wakrah Stadium where scrappy football saw players getting tangled with match officials and rivals alike.
Soon after the first 10 minutes of play, the clash turned into a physical game as Al Khor's Mouhssine Iajour seemingly head-butted Al Wakrah's Ali Hussain, captain of the home side, as the players got ready for a free-kick.
Hussain collapsed - as if struck by lightning - causing a stoppage in play amid constant berating and finger-pointing from players of the two sides.
After much delay, when the free-kick was finally taken, it was Iajour's turn to put on a show as the feisty Moroccan striker tumbled following a rough tackle from Hussain.
Another stoppage in play ensued as players quarrelled inside the Al Khor box in the 17th minute.
The passage of rough play continued for another 10 minutes or so - in one case Al Khor's Parou Sadeeqi was brought down by a Al Wakrah player, resulting a quick reprimand from referee Nayef Al Kadiri in the 27th minute.
At the half-hour mark, Al Wakrah's Hamood Al Yazidi hoodwinked his marker but his shot - fired at an acute angle - was well pouched by Al Khor goalkeeper Baba Djibril.
With no let-up in rough tactics employed by both sides, Al Khor coach Jean Fernandez decided to bench a limping Iajour in the 32nd minute, bringing out young Ali Abdulkarem to replace the Moroccan forward.
In the 36th minute, Al Wakrah's Abdulrahman Fakhroo produced a spectacular snap-header off a long-range free-kick but the ball smashed into the Al Khor crossbar with goalkeeper Djibril completely beaten.
With two minutes before the first-half whistle went off, Al Wakrah grabbed the lead.
Ahmed Fadel slipped in a neat ball from the edge of the box toward Moutaouali who should have been marked by the two Al Khor defenders in their own box.
With his markers slow to react, Moutaouali tapped the ball down before firing his shot into the net with goalkeeper Djibril unable to effect a stop in the 43rd minute.
With goal-scoring opportunities reducing with each minute in the second half, the players often engaged in rough play. In the 75th minute, Al Wakrah's Waheed Tahiri was shown a yellow card for bringing down Sadeeqi of Al Khor.
In the 80th minute, Al Khor's Abdulla Mustaf Saif slammed his knee in the back of Tahiri, resulting in another time out in the physically draining clash.
However, the scrappy clash closed out on pleasing note.
Al Wakrah's Waled Saleh Al Halk fired a powerful shot that mistakenly hit the linesman who only grinned despite the blow.
Al Haik walked toward the match official and planted a friendly kiss on the linesman's head to a ripple of an applause at Al Wakah Stadium
